漫画大王

Chapter 283

Meeting the emperor was already a lifetime honor in itself. Even having the emperor’s autograph and keeping it as a family heirloom would be widely accepted as a reasonable thing to do.

However, for me, the idea of meeting the emperor did not fill me with pride. Instead, I felt a sense of unease.

‘What if I get embroiled in another strange affair?’

The emperor likely knew many secrets that most people did not, secrets that even Vertus and Charlotte might not know. I could discuss matters related to the Revolutionary Forces with him without taking sides, or I could ask him about the affairs of magic societies, including the Black Order. Alternatively, I could gain information on numerous classified spells and forbidden arts.

Whether the emperor would trust the information I provided or whether he would give me the information I desired was another matter. The point was that there were possibilities.

What kind of connection would I forge with the emperor? It could be a one-time encounter, or one that was more long-term. As long as my abilities could help to keep Charlotte’s condition stable, it would likely be the latter.

The emperor would want to meet me soon. I did not know exactly when, but it was likely to be after the festival, during the winter break.

***

It was Friday, and the final exams had ended.

“Yeah! It’s over!”

As expected, Connor Lint, who never failed to meet everyone’s expectations, cheered loudly at the end of the grueling second semester.

The festival would be held the following week, and after that, winter break would begin. Although the final exam results had not been released yet, I expected myself to be placed somewhere in the middle, and closer to the top. However, because I had missed many classes, I would not be in the top ranks.

I didn’t worry too much about it since I didn’t really care much.

Of course, while the exams had ended, for some, the real challenge was just beginning.

I was participating in the first-year tournament, Ellen was participating in Miss Temple, Cliffman was participating in Mister Temple, and Harriet was participating in the open-level tournament.

“Harriet, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I told you, I’m fine. I have my reasons.”

Ellen’s participation in Miss Temple was surprising, but Harriet’s participation in the Open Tournament was the greater shock. In such tournaments, magic majors were already at a disadvantage, and she was not participating in the tournament for first-year students, but in the open category.

The preliminaries were beginning the next day and would be held over the weekend to filter out the finalists, with the finals taking place from Monday to Wednesday. The Open Tournament would then begin on Thursday.

The winners of each grade-level tournament would earn a spot in the Open Tournament finals, but whether they chose to participate was up to them.

I had not yet decided whether to participate, but it did not seem like a bad idea. Even if winning the Open Tournament was impossible, the challenge itself would be worthwhile. However, it was a bit ridiculous to behave as if I had already secured the victory before even competing.

The first-year tournament preliminaries were set to begin on Saturday.

And then there were the Miss and Mister Temple competitions. These were the major events of the festival. After the festival, once the winter break began, I would need to sort out the remaining matters one by one.

Just as Connor Lint was excited, Riana was equally thrilled. She grabbed both Ellen and Cliffman by their hands and dragged them along with her.

“Let’s go!”

“Okay.”

“Do we really have to... Ahh, ah, alright! I’ll go! I’ll go!”

Cliffman tried to say something, but when Riana glared at him as if she would kill him, his complexion turned pale, and he nodded repeatedly.

Riana had a slightly different energy from Harriet, but she was clearly very excited. It seemed she was planning to conduct some sort of makeover session with Ellen and Cliffman at the Granz ducal mansion starting that day. It was surprising to see her so enthusiastic about something.

I hoped her usual clumsiness would not result in any unexpected calamities this time.

‘But seriously... What about Miss Temple? Who should I vote for?’

I was torn between the benefits I could obtain and the reality I was facing, which made the decision a difficult one.

With Cliffman and Ellen absent, the training grounds would be empty today. They would probably stay at the ducal mansion all weekend and return only for the preliminaries. It seemed they had already informed the dormitory supervisor about it.

Harriet had run off to the Magic Research Club’s estate, so the dormitory was unusually empty.

That day marked the end of the second semester for the first-year students at the Temple. The festival was, after all, just a festival.

It was winter, and although there was no one around the Royal Class dormitory, there was a festive atmosphere about it. Perhaps it was just my perception, but despite the cold, I felt a strange excitement in the air.

The head student council had filled the gap left by the cancellation of the main event, the Royal Class vs. Orbis Class competition, with numerous performances, concerts, and friendly sports matches.

They had even enlisted the cooperation of various clubs and graduate students in the Temple. While those who had been eagerly anticipating the competition might be left disappointed, there was nothing to be done about it.

This was no time for slacking. With no one using the training grounds, I received special training from Sabioleen Tana. Of course, I wasn’t alone; Ludwig and Scarlett were also there.

Delphine and Erhi did not come, each for their own reasons.

Erhi, that guy, seemed to be trying really hard lately, but he was clearly struggling. He had talent, but had wasted too much time. Despite his Swordsmanship talent, he was not progressing well.

I had an aptitude for Swordsmanship, but no talent for it. However, I was much better than Erhi, who had actual talent. This was the clearest example of how Ellen’s presence had helped me.

In a way, it was as if I had a Swordsmanship talent myself since an exceptionally talented person was teaching me. I was bound to progress faster than someone who only had talent but did not apply themselves as much.

Ellen was like my doping potion. A year was a long time, but it was still too short for a novice to surpass someone with talent, at least without external help.

I reevaluated everything I had gone through up to this point. I remembered Ellen, who had started teaching me swordsmanship with the words, “That’s not how you do it.”

My efforts at improving myself, which had begun with meeting Adriana, became more serious once Ellen got involved. If I had been alone, I would have accomplished nothing. It was possible that I would still be inferior to a guy like Erhi.

With a grinding sound, Tana deflected my training sword and slammed it into the ground.

“Good. But you have a problem with precision when you go all out,” she said as she looked at me. “Don’t get too excited, Reinhart. That’s your biggest... shortcoming.”

‘You’d be upset if I called it a flaw, right?’ Her expression said.

‘Please, stop favoring me so much...’

“Your Mana Reinforcement is still very unstable. Of course, the fact that you can even utilize it at this stage is impressive. Don’t take that criticism too harshly.”

Sabioleen Tana was not only watching over my training, but Scarlett’s and Ludwig’s as well.

Initially, Tana seemed rather lukewarm over Ludwig’s excessive enthusiasm. To be precise, she seemed to find it more burdensome than annoying. She clearly favored me and personally took a liking to Scarlett.

But over the next few days...

Clang.

“I’ll try again!”

.

.

Thud!

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine! I’ll try again!”

.

.

Crash!

“... Maybe you should...”

“No, just one more time!”

.

.

Despite Tana’s rough treatment, Ludwig kept getting back up, and I could sense her attitude towards him changing.

‘What is this guy? A troll? They say his talent is stamina, but this is strange... What is he...? It’s scary...’’

Ludwig never lost his initial vigor and kept earnestly asking Tana to go another round. Ludwig was excessively honest, not in terms of personality, but in the sincerity of his beliefs.

He believed that he might be lacking, but that he could improve. He believed that he might be weak, but had the conviction that he could become strong.

He could waver, but he would grow stronger because of it.

Ludwig was like a character straight out of an old shonen manga. Clichéd and predictable, yet when faced with such a person in reality, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear.

A human being with an unbreakable spirit... Someone who, despite losing and falling dozens of times, would rise again to challenge once more.

“I’ll try again!”

I thought I had become quite tenacious. But watching Ludwig, who didn’t grind his teeth, who got up every time he fell, twisted his wrist, or got hit, and who constantly smiled and thanked Sabioleen Tana for the opportunity to face her, I realized that the truly tenacious ones were people like him.

They say that no matter how much you try, you cannot beat those who enjoy it.

“Scarlett, let’s practice while he’s at it.”

“Ah, yes, Reinhart.”

I was someone who tried.

“Heup!”

Clang!

But Ludwig was someone who enjoyed it—a true protagonist.

-Kang!

I swung my sword diligently, standing beside someone who would save the world with just that unbreakable mentality.

***

After the special training ended, Ludwig called out to me as we left the Class B training grounds.

“Reinhart!”

“Yeah?”

“You’re entering the first-year tournament, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Scarlett and I are entering too. Did you know that?”

“Oh, really?”

I had expected as much when it came to Ludwig, so it wasn’t a surprise. What was unexpected was that Scarlett, who would typically have entered Miss Temple, was participating in the tournament instead.

Ludwig pointed towards the training grounds. “I’m going to practice a bit more. I don’t know if Dame Tana will agree to help, though.”

He smiled sheepishly. “It would be rude to her if I lost to you too easily in the tournament, right?”

Ludwig seemed to think he couldn’t beat me, and he was probably right. Even if he lost to me, though, it wouldn’t damage his mentality at all. He would still continue to give his best effort, because that was the kind of person he was.

Work hard. Live kindly. Be honest.

Ludwig embodied those common maxims, turning those sayings into an actual living person.

“Alright then! Good luck in the preliminaries tomorrow! I’ll do my best too!”

“Sure.”

Ludwig was much stronger at this point than he had been in the original story, all because he had not gotten himself entangled in troublesome matters. Unlike me, Ludwig didn’t have any cheats.

However, the more troublesome matters I got entangled in, the more strange advantages I seemed to gain. Thanks to the numerous bizarre incidents I had been involved in, I was, at the moment, undoubtedly stronger than Ludwig.

But would I still be stronger than Ludwig in the future?

That guy, with his unrealistically strong mentality, had no limits. He probably had the Hero’s Lineage trait or some other similar traits.

Sabioleen Tana also seemed to sense that Ludwig was no ordinary person. Although she seemed to find him slightly burdensome, they seemed to share a rather positive synergy.

Now that Ludwig had met her earlier than in the original story, he would grow even stronger, and at an incredible pace.

While Tana had initiated this special training to instruct me, it would actually result in Ludwig growing stronger at an astonishing rate. He would probably cling to Tana throughout the winter break, seeking her guidance. Tana, despite her reservations, wouldn’t turn away someone as earnest as Ludwig.

***

“Reinhart,” Scarlett said in the hallway of the Class B dormitory.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Would you like to have dinner together?”

“Dinner?”

I realized I hadn’t eaten dinner because of the special training. I found it slightly surprising that Scarlett was making such an offer.

“Her Highness suggested we have dinner together if we had time.”

‘Ah, so that’s it. No wonder she didn’t seem interested in doing any extra practice despite entering the tournament.’

Since Charlotte had returned to the dormitory, we had been cautious around each other. We would greet each other when we met, but we hadn’t had many conversations.